Anybody use creatine (or any other supplement?)

[kamari]

I just jumped on creatine and I'm thinkin about puttin together a photo album of results. I was thinkin of daily photos for 3 months but that's a lot. Maybe more like a photo every 3 days to document progress. Anybody got before & after photos of them?

I jumped on creatine a year ago for 6 weeks and put on 12 pounds. I stopped takin it & stopped workin out and I lost it just as fast as I put it on It made for a handful of nice trips to the beach though

[Mike G]

the 12 lbs you put on was water weight .. if you want to use creatine and not get the water bloat try CEE, creatine ethyl ester .. the doses are much lower and its more effective at getting into the muscle.

Edit: it tastes like battery acid .. mix it into a shotglass of water and shoot it all at once, take it 1-2 hours before you lift. I use a 4g dose.

[Redmouse]

Originally Posted by nitromike

the 12 lbs you put on was water weight .. if you want to use creatine and not get the water bloat try CEE, creatine ethyl ester .. the doses are much lower and its more effective at getting into the muscle.

Edit: it tastes like battery acid .. mix it into a shotglass of water and shoot it all at once, take it 1-2 hours before you lift.

Gross...

[Mike G]

Couple pics .. me fatass before I started lifting


me after a few months



and a few months later

[David Whatley]

Mike, did the CEE make you break out like that? Has it broken out anywhere besides on you back?

Just kidding. How many months, and how much time at the gym?

[burksports]

If creatine/supplement enhances muscle growth, what happens to the all important muscle .... the heart? I've asked other people the same question and no one has really been able to answer.

[cjphotog]

I took creatINE a few years back, it messed up my kidney for a bit.
I DID NOT DRINK ENOUGH WATER. If you are taking creatine, drink drink drink, and drink some more water.

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by David Whatley

Mike, did the CEE make you break out like that? Has it broken out anywhere besides on you back?

Just kidding. How many months, and how much time at the gym?

The breakout was from the covering on the fresh tattoo .. it always does it for whatever reason.

From the first picture to the 2nd was just over 2 months .. I was 200lbs and a lardass in the first one .. 27% bodyfat, 2nd pic was after dropping back down to 184 through diet and lifting then back up to 214 @ 13%. Last pic I was closer to 220 and around 15ish % .. winter bulking is fun :D

Thats 4-5 days a week in the gym and not just creatine .. you won't gain 30 lbs in 3 weeks on just creatine.

[Paulo]

I used creatine on and off with in conjunction with exercise routine for a few years. Personally, I didn't notice a difference regarding physical muscle development. From what I read, what my Muay Thai trainer told me, and a personal trainer classification course(PFIT-ACIM) it's meant to help with your body's ability to recover faster when doing explosive type training: sprints, powerlifting, boxing... The muscle changes that occurs is from the actual training itself not necessarily because I took creatine. I got the same results from eating healthy and lot of rest between intense exercise session.
It is one of the few supplements out there that have one of the least amount of side effects to the body: heart, liver, etc...IF taken properly, meaning drinking plenty of water because it has some traits similar to a diuretic where it causes your body to loss more water.
The 12lbs gained is most likely the original poster putting in the focus and hours into his training.
For those interested, make sure you consult your doctor first but it went like this for me:
For the first two weeks, I take the recommended amount (power or liquid form) daily so the body stores and stores it within the muscle 3 times a day w/ meal or an hour before intense exercise.
After the two weeks, it's more of a maintenance, taken once a week.
But there does come a point, where my body really doesn't need it anymore and it requires one to completely get off the stuff for a few weeks. Then go through the loading phase all over again....

I'd show pics but my images would be...
Before....After....After the After....This bum really let himself go.....So sad....

:)

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by cjphotog

I took creating a few years back, it messed up my kidney for a bit.
I DID NOT DRINK ENOUGH WATER. If you are taking creatine, drink drink drink, and drink some more water.

with creatine yes .. its absorbing the water from your bloodstream and pulling it into the muscle .. thats why it gives you the false "size increase" you're bloated. You have to drink a lot of water to make up for it. CEE doesn't use water as the delivery system into the muscle so it doesn't cause the bloat and doesn't cause the need for excess water as much. still a good idea to drink a lot of water though .. its good for you.

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by burksports

If creatine/supplement enhances muscle growth, what happens to the all important muscle .... the heart? I've asked other people the same question and no one has really been able to answer.

From the studies I've seen .. absolutely nothing, it doesn't effect the muscles the way people think it does. It doesn't cause growth, it allows growth to happen easier with exercise.

[laurak]

An old boyfriend of mine use to take it. For some reason, it just made him moody and upset, oh wait. That was the steroids he was taking too. Good luck with your work out, hope you figure something out.

[Mike G]

Gear tends to do that

[kamari]

Originally Posted by nitromike

The breakout was from the covering on the fresh tattoo .. it always does it for whatever reason.

From the first picture to the 2nd was just over 2 months .. I was 200lbs and a lardass in the first one .. 27% bodyfat, 2nd pic was after dropping back down to 184 through diet and lifting then back up to 214 @ 13%. Last pic I was closer to 220 and around 15ish % .. winter bulking is fun :D

Thats 4-5 days a week in the gym and not just creatine .. you won't gain 30 lbs in 3 weeks on just creatine.

Nobody believes that McDonald's, Pizza hut and Burger King are my food choices for most meals. They always ask where's it all go??? I've had a 6-pack since I was 12. I started gettin scared though: I jumped up to 9.5% body fat from 9.0% a year ago Ok, jus a lil cheap shot. I absolutely loved the results from the creatine when I took it. The only problem was that I'm not a weight lifter. I spent $900 for a 24-hour fitness gym membership to play basketball cuz I don't like the sound of a heat stroke tryin to play outdoors in 105 degree heat index...only to find out that the court is closed daily from 11p-5a. So much for the 24-hr fitness aspect. I knew beforehand that you initially bulk up from water absorption. The bulkier look was just as important as the quick bursts of energy so creatine seemed like the logical choice. I didn't stay on the creatine or the weightlifting long enough to see any performance increases, just the physique change. I'm gonna try and stick to the workout routine and chart my progress this time.

[Mike G]

cool .. good luck with it.